21/10/2016 Look North (North East and Cumbria)

Good evening.

It's estimated that within five years, the National Health Service

across the North East and Ctmbria will be over budget by more

than ?1 billion if nothing is done to reduce spending.

And tomorrow, a group of calpaigners will begin a march between hospitals

in County Durham and Teesside to draw attention to

what they claim are plans to cut services as a result.

NHS bosses in the region admit they're having

to make efficiency savings, but argue they'll also deliver

better care for patients by changing how, and from where

services are delivered.

Fergus Hewison has more.

Mappping out the future of the NHS.

Jo and other campaigners have become so concerned about what might happen

to the service where they live, they're marching from hospital

to hospital for an entire wdek.

All services in our NHS footprint area, which is the area

that we are walking, are under threat.

We know that we could end up with only one A in this area.

What Jo and other campaigners are worried about are what's known

as Sustainability and Transformation Plans.

These have been drawn up for each health region,

or "footprint", across the country,

and have now been submitted to NHS England.

In the North East and Cumbrha, draft plans and other documents

this programme has seen say the NHS here will be more than ?1 billion

over budget by 2021 if it doesn't make efficiency savings and change

the way health care is delivered.

On Teesside, that might mean the downgrading of

accident and emergency units at either, or both,

North Tees Hospital in Stockton,

or here at the Darlington Memorial Hospital.

And across the wider Teesside area, other services

are also under review.

We asked those behind the NHS Sustainability

and Transformation Plans for Durham and Teesside for an interview -

they declined.

Instead, we were given a st`tement:

And the Health Secretary said this week that a more effichent

health service doesn't mean a worse one.

What I don't accept is that in order to make those efficiency savings,

you have to make changes that will impact negatively on c`re.

And there's more on that in Sunday Politics

this Sunday morning at 11 o'clock, here on BBC One.

An inquest's ruled a decision to terminate a prisoner's hospital

visits to see her newborn baby probably contributed to her death.

33-year-old Michelle Barnes from Cumbria was found hangdd

in her cell at Low Newton Prison in Durham last December.

She had wanted to keep her child in jail with her, but Cumbria Social

Services decided it was in the best interests for the baby

to be placed in care.

At the inquest, coroner Andrew Tweddle said

he had serious concerns about her treatment.

Earlier, our reporter Stuart Whincup sent this report.

Well, back in June 2015, Michelle Barnes was sent to prison

for two years for drugs offences.

Now, at the time, she was pregnant and she was wanting to be

transferred from Low Newton to another prison with

a mother and baby unit.

She was wanting to take care of the child.

But Cumbria Social Services decided it was in the best

interests of that child, when it was born, that it

should be taken into care.

She was told this by a social worker and she replied to that,

"If they take my baby, I will go, too."

Last December, she was found hanged in her prison cell.

Andrew Tweddle said he had rarely had so many major concerns

about so many issues.

He said, clearly, the prison had no clear plan in place

for what they were going to do when she was discharged from hospital.

He described her birthing plan as confusing and inadequate

and simply not fit for purpose.

He said some witnesses had told the inquest she would be able

to visit her baby in hospit`l, but other witnesses had said

she would have no chance wh`tsoever of visiting her baby.

He said there were clear concerns about the birthing plan

for pregnant women at the prison and he said he felt those

needed to be addressed to prevent future fatalities.

A man's been charged with the murder of Jodie Wilkinson,

the 27-year-old who was stabbed in Stanhope Street

in Newcastle, on Monday.

David Waterston, who's 43, and of Hamilton Place

in the city, will appear at Magistrates Court tomorrow.

Eight other people arrested in connection with the investigation

have been released on police bail.

A man's died after falling from one of the cargo ships anchored

off the coast of Tynemouth.

The seaman from Ukraine was working on board the ship,

one of three which have been there since July.

The vessel has been taken into the Port of Tyne

while police carry out an investigation.

Ten months after it was wrecked by Storm Desmond, a major play area

in Carlisle re-opened to the city's children todax.

?200,000 has been spent restoring the Bitts Park playground,

next to the castle, in the city centre.

Some of it's been designed to be used by children with disabilities.

It is a destination park here, lots of things go on.

And we want people to enjoy the city centre and be able to come

to the park at the same timd.

It is a lovely place and people have constantly been asking us,

when is it going to be reopened?

And it was important to get this open, but also get it right.

A baby boom is under way in Northumberland -

and it could be a record brdaker.

The pupping season for grey seals on the Farne Islands lasts

from October until December, and this year there could be

2,000 seals born there.

National Trust wardens spray them with a harmless dye to keep a count

of the new arrivals as the population grows.

The seals will start pupping, usually late September,

we see one or two.

But it really gets going in November, so our busiest time

is kind of early, mid-November.

And they pup mainly in the Outer Group,

so 1,876 pups born on here last year,

of which about 1,100 were born on Staple and Brownsman,

so they are the main islands that the seals use.

That's all from us, have a good night and weekend.

Let's find out the forecast with Jen Bartram.

Hello there, good evening.

Plenty of dry, fine and settled weather to be had this weekend.

High pressure in charge.

It means that we will see some bright spells at times,

but with an easterly breeze, we'll continue to see some

showers, especially along the North East Coast.

First thing tomorrow morning, there will be some patches

of mist and fog initially, but generally, we are

looking at a dry day with some bright spells.

But those showers, as you c`n see, still coming in along the coast,

they will be fairly few and far between, though.

Temperatures tomorrow afternoon around 11 to 13 degrees.

Into Sunday, and we do it all again, really.

The breeze might pick up a little bit and that will blow in a few more

showers, but generally, Sunday is looking like a drx day,

plenty of sunshine, especially in the West,

temperatures reaching a high of 11 or 12 Celsius.

Here is the outlook for the weekend, and with the national forec`st,